Our Members – Ellen Hackl Fagan

In June of 2014, Ellen Hackl Fagan expanded her independent curatorial practice into a full time business and is now the owner of ODETTA Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn. There, she maintains her painting studio and has become an active member of this vibrant arts community.

Fagan is focused on bringing together contemporary artists in unexpected pairings. This introduces artists to like-minded practitioners, and fosters collaboration. ODETTA’s program is focused on Color Theory, Minimalism, Glyphs, Buddha Mind, Fluxus, History, Humor, Psychedelia, Ephemera, Science, Math and Music. Since opening just over a year ago, Ellen has curated ten exhibitions at the gallery and has brought artists to two art fairs.

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Ellen Fagan also creates art collections for the healthcare industry, placing contemporary art in facilities throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, often introducing a featured local artist in these collections.
In addition to her curatorial and gallery business, Ellen Hackl Fagan is an interdisciplinary abstract painter who uses synaesthesia, digital media and interactive performance as tools for developing a corresponding language between color and sound in her work.

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Ellen Hackl Fagan is the inventor of The Reverse Color Organ and the ColorSoundGrammar Game, two projects that enable viewers to interact aurally with color. In collaboration with cognitive scientist Michael Cole, the Reverse Color Organ is being developed into an app and website to put this synaesthetic tool into peoples’ hands to be used not only to expand the language of color, but also as a crowd-sourced musical instrument.

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Fagan earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Interdisciplinary Media in 2005 from Hartford Art School in Connecticut. She was awarded a RADIUS artist residency through the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, in 2004, as well as a grant through the Stamford Museum & Nature Center in 2005. Fagan exhibits her work extensively throughout New England and New York City.